Localytics, a mobile analytics firm, has released a report on the current global market share of Android tablet, and it spells good news for Amazon. According to the report, Amazon’s Kindle brand holds an impressive 33 percent of the U.S. Android tablet market, followed far behind by the Barnes & Noble Nook, Samsung’s Galaxy series, Google’s Nexus 7 and other devices.

Distantly behind Amazon is the Nook with 10 percent, the Samsung Galaxy series with 9 percent and Google’s Nexus 7 with 8 percent. In contrast to the others, Google’s Nexus 7 is just one device that has been around a mere six months. If this kind of growth continues for Google, it will challenge Amazon in the near future. Note: These numbers do not include other, non-Android tablet devices like the iPad, Surface or Playbook.Read >>

Global Smartphone OS Market Run By Two Companies (Strategy Analytics)Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android combined to take over 92 percent of the global smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a report from Strategy Analytics.

Android secured 70.1 percent of the fourth quarter 2012 global smartphone market, while Apple’s iPhones accounted for 22 percent, leaving a mere 7.9 percent to competing platforms (poor Microsoft). In terms of overall shipments, global smartphones grew 38 percent annually from 157.0 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011 to 217.0 million in the fourth quarter last year. The full report can be found here. Read >>

Publishers often want to work closely with e-book outlets — possibly a little too closely — but it’s rare that they involve themselves directly. Pearson is taking that uncommon step by making a 5 percent, $89.5 million investment in Nook Media, the joint venture between Barnes & Noble and Microsoft. Some of the reasoning won’t be made public until Barnes & Noble provides holiday sales results on January 3rd, but Pearson is clear that it’s furthering its online education plans: it wants Nook Media’s distribution skills to make a “seamless and effective experience for students.” Just when we’ll see this harmony is still up in the air, though. Nook Media has yet to outline what Microsoft’s partnership means for e-books and e-readers, let alone how Pearson factors in. We’re not expecting a sea change until companies start speaking up.

Digital Consigliere

Dr. Augustine Fou is Digital Consigliere to marketing executives, advising them on digital strategy and Unified Marketing(tm). Dr Fou has over 17 years of in-the-trenches, hands-on experience, which enables him to provide objective, in-depth assessments of their current marketing programs and recommendations for improving business impact and ROI using digital insights.